In a new study recently published by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, researchers found that lower-cost public schools tend to produce the highest earnings and return on investment (ROI) for low-income bachelor’s students.

The study defines low income as students whose annual family income is $30,000 or less. One measure of the economic value of college attendance and completion is the ROI, which refers to the ratio of an investment’s net profit to its overall cost.

Maritime College was the only New York 4-year public university to be selected as one of the top 10 universities for highest return on investment for low-income bachelor’s degree students. The report found that a 40-year ROI on a bachelor’s degree from a public institution for a low-income student is $951,000 compared to the ROI on a bachelor’s degree from a private nonprofit school ($863,000), a difference of $88,000 over the 40-year timeframe.

For additional information, view the full Georgetown University report, The Colleges Where Low-Income Students Get the Highest ROI.